WE ARE STRETCHED.. BUT WE'RE WINNING

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The chief of the army yesterday admitted troops were stretched to breaking point by fighting on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

General Sir Richard Dannatt said he was concerned soldiers were spending too much time in the theatre of war without time to recuperate.

On a visit to Afghanistan's Camp Price in the Helmand province he told troops that despite heavy losses, which have been compared to those in the Second World War, he was confident they would win the battle against the Taliban.

Gen Dannatt was speaking as it was reported that half of frontline troops in Afghanistan had received medical treatment during their engagement. And senior military figures in Britain and the US called on Gordon Brown to pull troops out of Iraq, saying Basra had effectively been lost to the militants.

Sir Richard said that although soldiers were not getting enough time in barracks, morale generally remained high.

He added: "We can be busy, we can be stretched, we can run hot provided we look after individuals. Critically our soldiers feel valued and supported and thanked for what they are doing. Tragically, we take casualties from time to time but the Taliban have take taken a lot more than us."

He backed the call for a special bar to be added to Afghanistan campaign medals for those who served in the south to recognise the intensity of fighting.

The Mirror has been campaigning for dead and wounded war heroes to be awarded a separate medal.

Sir Richard pledged to push for a pay rise for all soldiers and urged that the bonus for troops serving in danger zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan should be also be increased.

In an interview with our sister paper, the Sunday Mirror, Defence Secretary Des Browne denied accusations by the British Legion that the Military Covenant - guaranteeing troops fair treatment - was not being upheld. He said: "I don't accept that it is being broken but it is our duty to live up to it."

The Ministry of Defence dismissed reports on the number of injured troops as "speculative".